A legal practitioner, Victor Nwaugo, has made a passionate plea to the Abia State chapter of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), urging them to immediately suspend their ongoing industrial action. Speaking out against the strike’s severe impact on the justice system, Nwaugo highlighted the distressing situation where prisoners who should have been freed, as well as detainees who have secured bail, remain locked up in correctional centers due to court closures.
Nwaugo pointed out that the work stoppage is dangerously undermining the public’s ability to access justice. He also noted that many lawyers in Abia State are grappling with significant financial hardships as a direct consequence of the stalled court proceedings. The attorney further expressed that numerous litigants across the state are now thrown into a state of bewilderment, as countless adjourned cases across various courts cannot be processed because of the unresolved dispute between JUSUN and the Abia State government.
“People who should have regained their freedom remain in custody. Some have been granted bail and met their conditions, yet cannot be released because courts are not sitting,” Nwaugo stated. He appealed to JUSUN to reopen the courts, arguing that the state government has already addressed the majority of the union’s demands. According to Nwaugo, judiciary workers in Abia are already benefiting from financial autonomy, and he noted that the Chief Judge, as the head of the judiciary, has not made any public complaints about financial inadequacies.
In response, the Abia State Chairman of JUSUN, Chinedu Ezeh, dismissed Nwaugo’s comments, accusing him of speaking as an agent of the state government rather than as an impartial lawyer or a person committed to the truth.